Best wellbeing businesses to start in 2024

The wellness industry has been growing rapidly for years and with the Covid-19 pandemic making us more aware than ever of our physical and mental health, now might be the perfect time to start a wellbeing business.

With lockdowns across the country, many people found themselves confined to their homes, fearing getting unwell with the virus and struggling to stay in physical shape, which took its toll on the population’s physical and mental health.

Following the pandemic, research has shown that almost half of the population (43%) feel more motivated to make changes to their life, including eating more healthily, losing weight, and exercising more.

If you’ve thought about starting up a wellbeing business – anything from offering wellness retreats to supporting people with sleep hygiene – 2024 could be the year to get it off the ground.

Here are a few wellbeing-inspired business ideas that may be worth looking into.

Wellbeing retreat

Following Covid-19, nearly two-thirds (63%) of adults in the UK say spending time outside in nature or gardening helps their mental health, showing more people are craving to get out of their homes and away from their computer and TV screens.

You could consider starting a wellbeing retreat business that offers people freedom and fresh air in the great outdoors.

You can offer activities promoting calm and relaxation, such as meditation or mindful yoga, to more energetic outdoor activities, such as water sports like canoeing and kayaking.

Wellness coach

With the nation embracing its overall wellbeing, you could consider becoming a wellness coach to help educate people on how best to take care of themselves.

The skills required include good verbal and communication skills, a natural ability to coach and encourage people, and an excellent knowledge of health, fitness, and nutrition-related issues.

Understanding physical and mental health-related ailments can help you offer constructive advice and support to those looking to improve their overall wellness.

Run a boot camp

With more people returning to the workplace post-Covid, fitting in physical exercise can be challenging for some with a long workday.

If you have a background in fitness training, consider offering lunchtime or after-work boot camps to those keen to improve their physical wellbeing but who may struggle to fit in a workout during the working week.

Be aware that you must obtain a relevant licence from the local authority to run a commercial class in a public park.

Sell fitness equipment

While fitness memberships dropped to 9.9 million in 2022 in the UK from 10.4 million pre-Covid in 2019, it’s not a lack of interest in being fit but more likely the cost of living crisis post-Covid responsible for the decline.

Rather than joining expensive gyms, consumers may be looking for more economical ways to keep up with their fitness.

Exploring the business idea of selling fitness equipment so people can save money by only investing in the kit they use.

If you are a fitness expert, consider a business selling second-hand fitness and gym equipment to make fitness at home more affordable to all.

Mocktail delivery business

Part of taking care of your wellbeing can involve reducing or stopping drinking alcohol.

Over 130,000 UK adults took part in Dry January in 2022 and this number is set to increase as the nation’s interest in wellbeing continues to grow,

So rather than a traditional home delivery cocktail business, creating delicious alcohol-free mocktails for home delivery or to parties and corporate events could be an excellent idea for a wellbeing business to start in 2023.

Sleep consultant

You’d be forgiven for assuming sleep support is aimed at new parents with young babies, but sleep hygiene is now a growing business for people of all ages who suffer from insomnia.

With almost 1 in 5 people in the UK not getting enough sleep a night, a number of businesses, designed to tackle the issue, have sprung up.

From sleep support apps, meditation courses, and classes to products designed to induce a good night’s sleep, there are lots of opportunities to support the sleep deprived with a business idea in 2024.